Lost and Found
by HBofPoseidon'nGryffindorSeeker
Summary: His dad leaves, Kyle and his family moves away and his mother dies. Sawyer is left to his own devices of survival. An encounter that will change his life for the better, but will it fix his problems? Winter gets rescued, given care and a loving home but she isn't the only one in need of it. It is a battle of survival and race towards safety for more then an inspiring dolphin.
1. Introduction

**I know it's short but it is just the introduction. Hopefully the chapter will be longer. It all depends on if I get any readers. Please respond a tell me what you think of it. Should I continue it or not. Please reply to tell me if I should. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dolphin Tale or any of the characters.**

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Introduction:

Rain, pouring rain, coming down in sheets so dense that there was almost no visibility, soaked the areas around and in Tampa, Florida. These areas included the thin, thread bear clothes of the small boy running along the beaches of Clearwater, desperately trying to get to the place he called home. A loud crack of thunder sounded just as he dove through the entrance of cave in the rocky, jungle like parts of these beaches.

Gasping for breath he remained kneeling just inside the mouth of the cave. His back, facing the outside and the hollowing wind, began to tense as the cold air ripped through his already soaked shirt and penetrated his skin. He started crawling deeper into the cave. Finally he collapsed against the back of the shelter next to an old milk crate filled with fruit in various stages of ripeness and decay, a well-used fishing rod and a wooden bowl that collected the water that dripped slowly from a small crack in the ceiling of the cave. There the boy stayed, asleep on the sand, for the next few hours.

Unfortunately it wasn't a peaceful sleep. It was tormented with dreams of his father leaving when he was only six years old, his aunt, uncle and cousin, whom he was very close to moving away a few months later, and his mother falling ill and dying the following year. This child had lived here in the cave by himself since his mother died, since he was seven. For four years he had kept himself alive by means of meager eating. He would fish, collect fruit that was discarded by those who lived in Clearwater or swipe what he could from the vendors during farmer's markets. He collected rain water to drink and survived as well as he could. He managed, but just barely.

When his mother had become seriously ill he had stopped going to school and didn't return after her death. People never questioned his disappearance. They simply assumed that his remaining family, his aunt, uncle and cousin, had taken him in. However, this was not true. The boy slipped between shadows and buildings. He was rarely ever noticed.

His solitude had hurt him in many ways, most of which he didn't notice. He was well aware that he had gone from a thin boy to a skeletal, emaciated shadow of what he had been. He now bore many scars from most unlucky run-ins with gangs in the busier cities surrounding Clearwater as well as from his new life style. What he failed to notice was his voice. He hadn't spoken to a single person since he moved to the cave.

Four years ago his mother died. Four years ago his voice was last heard by a human being. Four years ago he spoke his last word. Four years ago he interacted with a human. Four years ago the last thing he loved was taken from him. Four years ago was the time someone spoke to him. Four years ago he was showed love for the last time. Four years ago he showed an emotion for the last time. Four years ago he last cried. Four years ago he last laughed. Four years ago he last smiled. Four years ago he was actually alive. Four years ago he became a shell of a person. Four years ago it seems his life ended. Four years ago Sawyer Nelson had disappeared. At it has been four years to long.


	2. Chapter 1

**Well here goes chapter two. I hope it's not two disappointing. Thank you to my three reviewers I honestly could not have gotten this out without you. I apologize for the lateness but I have a very crazy life and you should feel special, I have three stories that I'm working on and this is the only one I've updated. I don't own anything and I hope you enjoy this. Please read and review.**

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Chapter 1

Pain, it was the only thing that registered in the boy's mind. It jolted him out of his fitful sleep. Slowly he sat up. His body ached from lying in the fetal position for multiple hours while he had been sleeping. Although his body ached, that was not the pain that had woken him. After contemplating this for a few moments it dawned on him. The pain was in his stomach. Why was he so hungry? He quickly did a run through on all the food he had eaten in the last week and soon found his answer. He was in pain and hungry because he hadn't consumed any food in the past week.

He quickly made his way to the milk crate that held his fruit. Reaching in, he hoped to grab an orange because for some reason he was craving the explosion of soothing juice that burst into his mouth after each bit, but instead his hand it the wooden bottom of the crate. It was completely empty. Panic filled his mind, blurring his vision as he franticly tried to figure out why he had absolutely no food. As he accepted the fact that his food was gone Sawyer's vision began to clear. It was then that he noticed small tracks in the sand. They lead from the carte out of the cave.

With an inward sigh Sawyer decided that he better find more food now since his stomach still hurt and some small animal, most likely a rodent of some sort, stole what he had. Picking up his beat-up fishing pole and the milk crate he headed out of his home.

As he stepped out into the bright light from the darkness of the cave he closed his eyes to protect them from the assaulting sunshine. Slowly he reopened them allowing them to adjust to the sudden change. Deciding to fish first, before anyone else showed up on the beach, he headed toward the water's edge. With a well-practiced sidearm cast he sent his old, rusty, crocked hook relatively far out into the wide blue-green expanse of the sea.

Sawyer sat down on the milk crate to wait for the telltale jerk of the line telling him that he had a bite. The serene quite in which the only sounds were the waves crashing on the shore and the seagulls calling from above was interrupted by the sound of thrashing a little way down the shore. Sawyer stood, firmly barring the end of the fishing pole in the sand, and headed down the beach. He had to base a bend in the coast in order to find the noise that had interrupted him. As he got nearer the sounds of country music floated towards him. People, he shuddered at the thought of having to interact with others of his kind.

Finally the source of the sound came into view. A dolphin was tangled in ropes and a crab trap. Looking up from the dolphin Sawyer saw a man franticly waving his arms, screaming and running up to passing cars. He quickly realized that this man was not going to actively help the trapped animal.

Sawyer, since he lived in the wild, had a way with animals. He loved them. He found their companionship far better than that of humans. Not only did he trust these creatures but they sensed something in him that led them to trust him too.

He slowly walked up to the panicked dolphin, careful to stay out of sight from the crazed man. He knelt down in the wet sand near the animals head a carefully began to work the rope out of her, he had figured out rather quickly that this was a female dolphin, mouth. After freeing her head he moved to the tail which was the more grieves of the two injuries. The ropes trap had cut off circulation to the dolphin's tail, not to mention the gashes that had also been created. Sawyer took the old, rusted knife that he used for almost everything off the belt loop it hung from and started to work on the removal of the crap trap and ropes.

At this point the fisherman had finally managed to flag down a car and get in contact with the local Coast Guard. Within about fifteen minutes the Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescue team arrived.

They were just getting out of the van when Sawyer finished freeing the dolphin. He looked up at the sound of people and fled. After four years of almost complete solitude Sawyer had developed a slight phobia of other human. In his mind the majority of people left you when you needed them most or were too cruel to help an orphaned, homeless child. Unfortunately for Sawyer he did make his escape unnoticed. A young girl spotted him and tugging on her father's sleeve, pointed him out before getting to work on helping to get the dolphin into the van. This man's name was Doctor Clay Haskett. His eyes followed the scrawny boy has he rounded the curve in the beach. 'What type of child could free a dolphin by himself and then disappear the second help arrived? Didn't he want thanks?' Clay wondered. Pushing these thoughts away he barked an order to the crew and they set off towards the aquarium to provide the medical attention their passenger most desperately needed. The silence of the ride was interrupted by the voice of his young daughter, Hazel.

"Winter," she said matter-of-factly. At the strange look her father cast her she clarified, "the dolphin. Her name is Winter."


End file.
